Pew's data suggests that the Democrats' low average rating likely is a consequence of its bipolar political coalition, which combines well-credentialed post-graduate progressives who score well in quizzes with a much larger number of poorly educated supporters, who score badly.
...

Some of the more scathing indictments of liberals contained herein are seen in related polls and studies:
Democrats are far more likely that conservatives to disconnect from people who disagree with them.

"In all, 28% of liberals have blocked, unfriended, or hidden someone on SNS [social networking sites] because of one of these reasons, compared with 16% of conservatives and 14% of moderates," said the report, tiled "Social networking sites and politics."

The report also noted that 11 percent of liberals, but only 4 percent of conservatives, deleted friends from their social networks after disagreeing with their politics.

A March Washington Post poll showed that Democrats were more willing to change their views about a subject to make their team look good. For example, in 2006, 73 percent of Democrats said the GOP-controlled White House could lower gas prices, but that number fell by more than half to 33 percent in 2012 once a Democrat was in the White House.

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Posted by Tea Party Freddie
a resident of Foothill Farms
on Apr 23, 2012 at 11:02 am

Ah, yes, those brainy Republicans compared to the stoopid Dems....

 You're a 'strict Constitutionalist' who thinks America is a Christian nation even though there is absolutely no mention of Jesus Christ, Christianity or even God in the Constitution?

 You're complaining about high gas prices at the pump, but you'd rather drive a gas-guzzling road hog because it might hack off some eco-liberal than save money by driving a hybrid or electric car?

 You actually bought those fraudulent gold coins peddled by Glenn Beck and yet you think you're a good judge of what candidate could best handle the economy?

 You really want America's future to be determined by large global corporations that you can't influence rather than a government that you can at least vote out?

 You can't survive without Social Security and Medicare, yet you vote for people who want to get rid of those programs?

 You're saving up for your kids to go to college yet vote for candidates who think a college education is snobbish and turns you into an America-hating liberal atheist?

 You're a married woman who takes birth control pills since you can't afford any more children in your family, yet you're voting for Republicans because you like their 'family values' blather?

 You're a law enforcement officer who has seen your union's ability to bargain for better working conditions and higher pay curtailed or ended by Republicans, yet you still think Occupy Wall Street is the real enemy?

 You confess George W. Bush ruined the economy with his tax cuts and loopholes for the rich that added trillions to the deficit, yet you're still voting for Republicans who favor the same tax policies?

 You're a college kid who supports Republicans even though you admit that your tuition has gone up under Republican policies and they aren't doing a thing to ensure you have a job when you graduate?

 Your teenage daughter is pregnant, and you blame the school for not providing adequate sex education, even though you voted for candidates who were against sex education in schools?

 You're sending that daughter out of state to quietly get a legal abortion because having the child will affect her future and embarrass your 'traditional values,' pro-life family, yet you want to deny this option to other women?

 You think if there is one person on welfare who takes drugs, it means most welfare recipients are drug addicts, but if several racist signs appear at GOP rallies, that's not an indication most Republicans are racists?

Posted by jimf01
a resident of another community
on Apr 23, 2012 at 11:08 amjimf01 is a registered user.

You got almost all the whack job progressive talking points used when avoiding honest debate, you forgot to mention we are gun nuts, stockpiling food and ammunition, and bible thumpers as well. I mean, if you are going to level the assault, please capture everything.

Posted by Tea Party Freddie
a resident of Foothill Farms
on Apr 23, 2012 at 11:29 am

Sorry I didn't include those and many others. The list really is quite endless. But, as per usual, you missed the point of the exercise. The list I provided offer instances of cognitive dissonance in conservative 'thinking'. Had I chosen to detail simply idiocy, I might have discussed widespread conservative beliefs that Obama is a muslim, a nonchristian, a noncitizen, a communist, a Stalinist statist, an Imperial President, and/or some combination of above. In fact, we might well include you as one of the nutjobs who believes such, yes?

If you care to have intellectual debate on this matter, please present a scholarly study rather than a right-wing blog hack job. But, alas, you'll find no scholarly study to support your view, and you'll find numerous scholarly studies that detail the relative ignorance and cognitive dissonance of those who self identify as conservative. You consistently get thwarted and ridiculed with all your posts, yet you continue unabashed. Dropped on your head as an infant is my most plausible hypothesis.

Why haven't you trotted out again the "study" that shows liberalism is a mental disease? It's been a while since we've seen that one. Go ahead, you're always good for a laugh no matter what you post.

Posted by jimf01
a resident of another community
on Apr 23, 2012 at 12:06 pmjimf01 is a registered user.

Feel free to trot out one (or more) of the 'numerous scholarly studies' you cite.
I have an article on that very subject, and it states that what you are laying out as the domain of conservatives can also be seen in liberals. Web Link

The intellectual analysis is great, but it only confirms what people intuitively know, dumb people are often not easily swayed to change beliefs, in fact they dig further in to their beliefs. You disagree with me, you think I am dumb, and you classify me as a victim of cognitive dissonance.

I would like to also have identified, purely for my education, how it was you determined the Pew Center, Washington Post, and University of Virginia are regarded as right wing hacks, or is it that you feel free to dismiss the research and polling of these organizations, simply because the data is presented and analyzed by the daily caller blogger?
Again, use of insults to avoid any honest discussion of the facts. But I have come to expect that from the anonymous trolls who inhabit this board.

Posted by jimf01
a resident of another community
on Apr 23, 2012 at 12:58 pmjimf01 is a registered user.

UVA researcher is no right wing hack.

(Comment makes no sense and has been removed by Pleasanton Weekly Online staff.)l

And this is a NY Times book review! Yeah, the same NYT that routinely smears conservatives. The same NYT book reviewers that routinely pretend that books written by conservatives, books which inhabit their own best seller list for weeks on end, do not exist! Web Link

I am beginning to think it is Freddie, the commenter above, who has the mental impairment here.
Perhaps an unimpaired liberal would like to acknowledge the 'cognitive dissonance' on the left when it comes to discussing this topic Web Link

Posted by George
a resident of Bordeaux Estates
on Apr 23, 2012 at 1:41 pm

Jimfo1,

I've always admired your keen insight and erudition, and it angers me to no end that other posters try to make fun of you and drag your name through the mud.

I realize Prof. Haidt's book which argues against reason is only his opinion, and that it is not based on any concrete evidence. But that really is a small matter. In the interest of open and honest discourse, will you please tell all the unpatriotic liberals out there (1) why you think Obama is a muslim, nonchristian, noncitizen and (2) why you think the NYTimes (other than that it has been owned by Jews) is so utterly liberal.

Posted by George
a resident of Bordeaux Estates
on Apr 23, 2012 at 1:50 pm

Oh, and one other matter. Will you kindly please tell all the liberal "true believers" out there -- the kool aid drinkers -- how Obama is in fact a Marxist Communist? It infuriates me to no end when people deny this obvious fact.

I don't care if obami is labeled a Marxist or a dog eating Kenyan, what really matters is he has been a terrible president and if he is re-elected, as he mentioned to his soviet friends, he will be able to escalate his destruction of our country. You leftists must be so proud of his accomplishments, which are..................?

Posted by jimf01
a resident of another community
on Apr 26, 2012 at 10:49 amjimf01 is a registered user.

Interesting result to my post. Not a single actual answer from anyone to the question I posed. I did get (expected) personal attacks, and an attempt to refute the premise and point of my post, one anonymous commenter stating there are "numerous scholarly studies" that contradict the author of the blog I linked to. But no reference to any such study. Of course we have the usual diversions and distractions from idiot anonymous trolls.
I conclude, at this point, that we see here what we see on facebook and other social media. The country is becoming more polarized because there are so many more sources of political news and analysis, so many more politically centered blogs and websites, and social media has become a hotbed of political discussion, where people in the past had to mostly discuss politics face to face. We didn't really have these discussions before.